2013-09-24 - Family Reunion, My Son
Batman does not sleep, but he meditates for part of the trip and plans for the rest. He pulls out a tablet that was hidden away and accesses satellite images of Madripoor, specifically areas to land and where Damian al Ghul is being kept. This will not be an easy task. When the group starts to approach the island, Batman says, "I'm taking over," and retakes controls of the plane. Robin-grrl (Yes, grrl, like girl, but growled) didn't do too shabby, so he hasn't felt like seizing control on the way over here. He starts to bank and redirect his approach to the area he saw that would fit better. It was a small inlet, mostly hidden from the rest of the island. It did not have good places to set missiles except at the top of the cliff and that is why he moves in low toward the water. He already activated the anti-radar device which will help prevent their detection. The Batman brings the three-seater jet in low, and makes a vertical landing with it. It kicks up sand, causing a bit of a whirlwind of it, before the jet jerks a bit as it lands firmly. He lets the sand settle a bit while he says, "I need you to stay with the jet Carrie, to make sure no one tampers with it. Anyone that approaches would be considered hostile. There is a net gun in the side panel, as well as fire extinguisher foam, and a kit of spare Batarangs and tear gas grenades." He pats the emergency panel he is talking about before he pops the top with a hiss and stands up. He pulls something from one of his numerous yellow pouches and holds it out toward Carrie; a comlink. "You will want to keep the jet grounded to avoid attracting additional attention, but it has wheels, spin it around if you must and use the missiles." A pause, "Try not to kill anyone with them." He is not being funny with the last part. "Batgirl." Just saying her name holds command, and lets Batgirl knows that Batman is requesting she get out of the jet and following him as he leaps down skillfully to the sand with a light thump. It has already started to darken here in Madripoor, a dirty, dark dusk that helped cover their approach with the nearly silent Bat-jet. Carrie Kelley had changed into her Robin outfit as soon as Batman had agreed to let her come. It was ready, as was she, and the fact that it would be a long trip before any potential action doesn't leave her on edge or chomping at the bit as it may some. The entire trip she barely speaks at all seemingly content simply being here with the two far less talkative Batmens? Womens? Hm. She'd have to figure out that one in her head eventually. When Batman says he's taking over the controls she merely leans back lacing her fingers together behind her neck giving herself a chance to stretch. "Sure thing, Boss." Even as he lists off where things are she reaches back to run fingers over her own weaponry checking that everything is where it ought to be. Mention of the net earns a glance in that direction--That might come in handy. With a small look of surprise she glances back reaching out to take the communicator which she slips into place with a mere nod. "Gotcha. Give me a heads up when you need to peel." Cassandra Cain flips her way out of the plane, landing silently then and letting her eyes sweep over the area ahead. They have their mission objectives, but Batman seems to be keeping this one close to the vest. That troubles Batgirl to a degree, if only as she cannot quite read him as well as she usually can, and what little she can tell fo his body language reads of agitation. That disturbs her to a degree then, but she does not show it. Following along then silently. She is a good soldier, an she will do what she is told as she hits the ground and waits for him to signal her what to do as she heads along after him, body primed and on high alert. Batman turns to look back up at Carrie. To obedient, it is making him paranoid! But he then turns back to the issue at hand. He starts to move, heading toward the rock face which has almost stair-like cuts made into the face as it leads upward. His movements are silent as he moves up them, his senses alert. He knows where he is going from the images, and from Dragon's report which Batgirl also overheard in the Bat Cave. Still, it will take a few minutes to reach the place he wants. Rooftop if possible be best to help avoid detection. The criminals would be far from pleased to find a Batman and a Batgirl on their little island. Cassandra Cain stalks along after Batman then, remaining silent as her masked eyes sweep ahead. Paranoid as well, i fonly for the reasons that the Bat is paranoid. her hands in front of her as the girl maneuvers over on the defensive as Batman leads her along, keeping pace with him and hanging back about five meters at all times, to be on over-watch to give him cover and let him take point. Carrie Kelley doesn't leave the plane just yet but she does at least stand up to scan around. A finger taps against her temple adjusting her little mask as she scans around getting a lay of the land. Rooftops were always good but they were also a pain for people who needed to keep from being ambushed. Hmmm. The target is ahead of them. According to Dragon, the top three floors of the Buccaneer's Pearl apartment tower belong to the League, and having a look at the place he's not wrong. There are armed men patrolling the balconies, and a few more can be seen through the windows. Also, just below where Batman and Cassandra stand, there's a sniper's nest, with a guy keeping watch on the tower. Likely one of several around the building. Inside Damian taps away on his computer unaware of what's coming. Batman stills, soon waiting for Batgirl to catch up as he remains in the shadows. He doesn't speak in the comlinks that both him and Batgirl wear. No, he does it via slight movements and body language in the shadows. He points out the nest he noticed, and indicates there are likely more. He points to himself and motions that he will be going 'afar'. He points at Batgirl and points to the area she is to scan and 'silence'. Batman then points toward the top three floors of the building, indicating that Batgirl is to come in at the lower area, and Batman will be coming in from 'above' once it their little sniper issue is resolved. It is only then that he moves from his perch, proving himself one with the night. He tries not to think about what he is going to do, or that a young boy's life and freedom is at stake. He doesn't try to think about how he has been taught to kill, or the warnings that Dragon have hinted at to prepare him for the undertaking he has willingly accepted. Batman focuses on the direct task at hand. Not getting snipered. His first goal is to search out each of the nests, and then methodically take them out silently and carefully, making sure it will be a few hours before the assassins will wake up. In the meantime...Carrie is likely to find herself a little...bored at first. At least, until she starts to hear some voices. It isn't English, Cantonese actually. And there sounds like a cursing woman being dragged down the stone steps Batman and Batgirl went up earlier. There is a echoing slap when the curses get too vibrant, and a whimper before she spits. Well, we know sound travels well in the stairwell. A good and bad thing. Cassandra Cain is stalking along silently, going for stragglers as well. Knowing the necessity of avoiding making any noise, she's going along and not using gadgets. Just traveling in and out of the shadows, and as one target is neutralized, trying to drag them out of the way where another will not pass them. Moving back and forth, back and forth, slowly and methodically. Cassandra does not hate. Hate is an emotion. But she strongly dislikes the League. More-so than others. So she spares little of the restraint she would normally exercise on your average everyday thug as she goes back and forth. Carrie Kelley narrows her eyes glancing toward the sound of a woman being man-handled. There were several possibilities of what might be going on--Someone may actually be in trouble. On the other hand she had gleaned from the discussion before they came that the leader of the Assassins was a woman. Though cheery, happy, even a bit easy-going so far as a crime-fighter went that didn't make her slow, stupid or gullible. Dammit. Carrie flips out of the plane landing light on her feet only to duck back into the shadows cast by the landing gear of the plane. Reaching back she pulls out the collapsable bow tucked behind her back. With a simple motion it flips to full length and she draws out a single bolt notching it and waiting. The snipers are watching for attackers going to the building and not for people coming from behind. A failure of the security measures set around the building. They fall quickly, though one of them, at the cost of his own safety, presses a button on his radio, before he is knocked unconscious. The alert has been sounded. In the condo towers two men barge into Damian's room, both have guns out. "Come with us," they say to the son of Talia al' Ghul, the boy who will someday lead them. Damian doesn't stir, not at first, he finishes typing and closes his laptop before tucking it away in his go-bag at his feet. That done he pulls it over his shoulder and picks up his sword on the way over to the men. "What's going on?" he asks calmly as he falls into step with them. "Intruders, you know the protocol," one of the men replies. Damian nods, he does. The men take him to his mother. She is armed, and pulling on her gauntlets, looking over the security camera footage. When Damian arrives she shuts down the monitor, and turns to the men with Damian. "Take him to the elevator, we will meet at the second withdrawal point," her voice would sound calm to most, but Damian detects a note of trepidation there. He frowns. "Mother," he says stepping past his minders. "I want to stay." Talia shakes her head and crouches low so she is a height with Damian. "No, Little Wing, you must go. I will co-ordinate the holding action and follow. Do what your minders tell you, they will protect you or they will pay with their lives." That last is for his minder's benefit of course. And just like that Damian is parted from his mother hustled towards the lift that will take him away. Or at least that's the plan. Damian however has other ideas, only a few people in this world could unsettle his mother so, and he has waited a long time to meet one of them. There is a flash of steel as his sword comes free of its sheath and he hamstrings the first of his minders. A second stroke ends his life. The other one turns quickly, a credit to his training, but Damian is already swinging. The man dies just as quickly as the other. Then unencumbered he borrows one of their radios so he can follow the defense and find the people who have come for him. Around him the League makes ready for battle. Batman leans down to switch off the alarm. They will know it isn't a false alarm however. The last one. His error. He ignores his heavy heart. He is moving again, and this time, he does not bother with the finesse. She knows he is coming. And perhaps, she knows it is for the nameless boy. He is moving again, "They know," he growls in the comlink, the only warning he gives to Batgirl beyond, "Finished here." Robin-grrl would hear the growling, and displeased words from Batman over her comlink, a mild interruption to what begins to play out before her eyes. A woman is violently dragged by her hair down the stone stairs, and there are two others over shoulders of men. There are still about six men however, a dangerous number considering how well armed they are. The two with the unconscious women drop them into the sand and one of them picks up binoculars, before he drops them. He says, << What is that?! >> They are staring at the Bat-jet right now with surprise, and then greed. << Looks expensive, >> says another, wetting his lips. The Chinese woman held by her hair, kicks at one of the men in the balls, knocking him down while the one holding her whirls about and punches her hard in her unprotected stomach before tossing her hard to the sand where she starts to throw up what little was in her stomach in pain and shock. Apparently, slave trade, from what Carrie can evaluate, and they are expecting company. Batman races across the final roof top, and with a shooting of his grapple gun, he nails one of the lower balconies. He pulls himself up, tear gas grenades already in hand as he lets them loose whenever he runs across adversary, neglected to bother the ones that are not his concern. They will not get involved in another sects battle unless they can defeat that sect while they are at it. When Batman reaches the balcony, it will only be a temporary perch to reshoot for the roof top and swing about as he goes upward fast and hard. Tear gas grenades are left behind, along with smoke bombs this time, to provide additional cover. He doesn't have time to fight them right now. Batgirl will enter via the first of the three top floors. Cassandra Cain is running along after Batman, shooting out her grapple line and evading potential pursuers in her wake. Her shot with the grapple gun going up is not quite as clean as Batman's then, so she's literally running up the wall as her grapple bolt reels her in, shooting upwards and racing along vertically as if she were a slow moving Flash as she goes up, up, and away. Ending up on the top of the entrance point, automatically yanking her grapple and detaching the cable to reel it in then as she uses her momentum to shoot up and over into the sky in a flip, then yanking her cape over about her to obscure herself in darkness in case there's any shooters up at the entrance point, the sudden flash of cloth and dark fabric around her making it hopefully harder to pick out her body mass as a target as she's but a few heartbeats after Batman, breaking in and ready to rumble. Got to love this portion of the world. Carrie's eyes narrow as they emerge and begin to toss the woman around. She had no idea what they were saying but it didn't matter much to her. The language of their actions was enough. Drawing the bowstring back she doesn't hesitate to take aim. The next time one of them raises his hand he finds an arrow through it. It juts right through his hand stuck in place with the bat-winged fletching standing out obviously. It was a simple symbol that struck fear into the hearts of those in Gotham--Perhaps not so much here but an arrow through a body part was usually a good way to strike fear to begin with. Another follows, and another. Through an arm. Through a thigh. The six men weren't being murdered but they were certainly going down and cast in the darkness from beneath the plane it might not be obvious to them where it was coming from. The tear gas and smoke grenades stop the first line of defense, the guys who were on duty when the alarm sounds. The second though are wearing gas-masks. Four of them open up on Batgirl. While upstairs where Batman makes his entrance two men on the way to somewhere else in the defense turn and rush towards him, both of these ones are armed more traditionally with swords, likely from Talia's inner circle. Damian breaks off from where he crouches by the corpses of his minders listening to Talia command her men to fight to the death. He makes his way back towards his mother, and finds her coming towards him instead. "Damian," she all but growls and glances at his bloody sword. "Stupid child, come, this is no time for games," she strides forward but Damian raises his sword. "No mother, no more running and hiding," he says calmly his ice blue eyes narrowed. Then just like that his sword is gone. The mistake of pausing against someone like his mother, in the next second his face stings with a slap and he is on the ground. "Do not raise your weapon to me boy, not if you wish to live to fulfill your destiny." She reaches down and grabs him, dragging him from the fight and towards the waiting lift. There is a high-pitched scream as one Chinese man finds an arrow through his bleeding hand! The others are moving, getting shot at and pulling guns, and even an old-fashioned Tommy Gun to start shooting crazily toward the jet. The bullets ping off it, but that doesn't mean Robin-grrl is safe from any stray bullets are low aimed ones as the men scream in Chinese at each other, trying to circle around the jet and get behind rocks that are at the base of the cliffs. Batman lands on the roof top fearlessly. He slowly rises to his full height as the ninjas pull their swords out. His grapple gun and reclipped to his belt, when he moves, it is with sudden speed and accuracy. There is no fear in those swords or in the skill of the dark men that wild them. He uses his gauntlets to block and the blades sticking from his gauntlets to try and twist one sword out of the grasp of another. The metal will not be so easily cut through, Batman prepared. His other gauntlet is moving to block the other sword even as a foot kicks out to knock that assassin guard away. There is a low, quiet growl that comes from him as he proves far from gentle, though still with full restraint to not kill. Twirling through the air, Batgirl literally -curls- her body, judging the distance fo a window open roughly six inches, and uses her forward momentum arc her way through the immensely narrow fit while rocketing forwards at more than ninety miles an hour. Coiling, shooting like a snake she tucks her body like a twisting arrow, bolting through it and landing, going into a silent handspring to kill her forward momentum as she lands back up on her feet then having not made a peep, nor even nudged the window as she whirls around, cape slashing through the air in a silent, violent keen. ... A tommy gun. "Shiv!" Carrie mutters beneath her breath only to click her jaw shut quickly just in case the word carried over the transceiver. She didn't think it would but it was new equipment for her. Flipping back and away she keeps the landing gear of the plane in her way to offer some cover before she twists mid-jump to snag a hand against the open edge of the jet cockpit. It only took a moment to pull herself up and into it giving herself the safety and comfort of the shielded vehicle. Sighing softly she waits until the gunfire ceases while pulling out another arrow. As soon as the gunfire slows (from the goons thinking they got the person shooting at them) she lifts out to send the next arrow flying. It smacks into the ground with a resounding crack only for plumes of smoke--No, gas--to pour out intending to knock them out. It would do the same to the women but once everyone was down she could deal with that. The men arrayed against Batgirl are left without a target as they fail to follow her through her series of flips and rolls. Batgirl finds herself inside the League compound and free of attackers. The two swordsmen's blades meet Batman's gauntlets with the ring of steel on steel. The assassin he kicks goes down hard, groaning. The other one steps back taking a defensive stance radioing into his headset "He's here." Down below Talia holds a hand to her ear as she replies. "Hold him there," then suddenly her feet are out from under her and she's falling. Damian used the moment of distraction to sweep her legs and then run for all he's worth into the suite. Across Cassandra's path. Batman continues to move, not pausing in the least. As his gauntlet jerks to fight the sword away from the one assassin still, he slips something out of a pouch with his now freed hand with the other attacker kicked away. And then PUNCH! Not only does Batman use what appears much like brass knuckles to punch the would-be assassin, but they are also operate as tasers, so as soon as the man's muscles being to spasm the sword will be jerked away. Batman at least has some insulation within his suit against the shock. One down, one more to go. The female Robin will find as she peeks up that they were beginning to approach the Bat-jet with caution when it she shoots that arrow, they jump back! Not far enough then as they cough, gasp for breath, and soon find themselves falling to their knees and then faces the ones remaining into the sand. The one woman half away blissfully passes out. Course, the female Robin won't have much time, as only about twenty seconds later, she will hear the soft rumble of a power engine approaching the little inlet. Cassandra Cain has managed to evade her pursuers for the moment, and flawlessly lands, using her legs on the ground to break her fall then and rapidly spring back up to her feet. She gives herself no more than ten seconds to recover, assess her surroundings, and then attempt to locate where the sounds of battle are coming from. At that point, she heads up towards where she can hear the fight coming from, going at top speed if at all possible in the most direct way, trying to arrive there as fast as she can to get there and provide backup, pending she doesn't run into more reinforcements. As Damien rushes out towards her, Cassandra is immediately over in a defensive stance then, appearing as if out of nowhere then. He's but a child, but is clearly dangerous. her hand goes in front of her and gestures at him. "Who?" Are you? Carrie Kelley didn't even wait for them to finish passing out before she had lept out of the plane again. The gas offered a momentary bit of smoke-cover though she knew it would dissipate quickly. Her own breath was held causing her heart to thunder in her ears as she ducks through the remaining men disarming them just in case. The guns are flung well away with some landing in the water and others simply smacking into the rocks. Only once they're all down does she risk breathing with a hand raised to cover her mouth with the fabric of her cape to filter out the remnants of the gas. Narrowing her eyes at the men she considers only a moment--Slave trade near a river and no boat in sight meant they were expecting company. Dropping her cape she ducks down to grab the leg of one man and the arm of another pulling them along even as she hears the sound of an approaching boat. Without much time she quickly arranges the felled six in a specific manner. One man had his legs bent backwards and his arms pulled back behind him while he laid on his side. It wasn't unnatural, really, but it /looked/ unnatural and rather creepy. The others are dragged, dropped and tossed until they're situated in a rough approximation of the symbol she was trying to make--And then she fled back to the plane, leaping over rocks and then clambering into the cockpit before she could be seen. The six men are left arranged on the ground in the kanji for 'Death'--Or close enough that it would be understood as a warning to those approaching she hoped. The last assassin comes forward carefully sword raised. Then with a shout he charges, suggesting a swing from the upper right with his stance but changing at the last moment to swing low and cut the Batman's legs out from under him. Downstairs, Damian's head swivels around as Batgirl appears. He disregards her question as he frowns at her "You're not who I expected," then that's all the time they have as Talia appears with six of her assassins in tow. "Damian! Come here now," she calls to her son, then points at Cassandra and says to her men. "Kill the intruder." The assassins move forward to attack Cassandra, all armed with swords and staves. Damian, moves away slowly to his mother's side. Batman sees the attack, leaping up into the air as he catches the feint and twists his body into a spin kick that will send the assassin flying. He lands with a light thump, and then he is moving. He does actually think to test the door to see if it is locked first. This was the expected escape path, but Batgirl was ordered to the lower levels just in case. It is...unlocked. Batman slips inside, heading down the stairs not one at a time, but by actually leaping up to the railing and racing along it as it creaks under his weight. It puts his body 'off-center' to any attacks from below. A flying leap from the railing before it breaks, has him flinging himself feet first down the last few steps and feet to chest of anyone that gets in his way - or where they meet the floor if no one is. His goal is not to disable everyone here if he can avoid it, his goal is to find the boy as quickly as possible. Batman taps his comlink, "Status. Find boy or Talia?" Complete sentences? Why bother. His words are growled out and the female Robin can hear them even as she hears the higher roar of the boat engine. There are armed men on that boat with machine guns. One of them lifts a foot to the side of the boat, barely illuminated by a barely there moon. He narrows his eyes and raises binoculars to get a closer look. Some sort of plane and....the way the bodies are scattered and even the three women are limp and unresponsive. He curses and yells in Cantonese to the others. The boat picks up speed a bit, but it spins in the water and starts to head away. The three women are not worth more dead in their group, and that looked like a high tech plane...must have been one of the gangs higher in the food chain in their minds. Cassandra Cain is in full combat mode facing off against Talia and the six assassins. She speaks into the commlink She doesn't wait for the assassins to surround her, but goes all out and strikes, on the offensive, trying to get to them while they're in a position they can't quite fully move past one another. These are deadly killers, beyond the mettle of her normal adversaries. So she does not hold back. For each fo them, she will try and strike for fast, disabling blows if possible - going for nerves, joints, muscles, bones then, trying to drop them as quick as she can if she's lucky, going on a whirlwind offensive to try and take them down before they can overwhelm her. Score one for psychological warfare. Carrie didn't have time at the moment to be messing around with bit players when she was supposed to be a get away. There were other matters she couldn't just leave here, though, and from the sound of the 'update' she had time still. Not much, but time none the less. Once again she ducks out of the plane heading first for the men. They're left in the positions she put them but a length of parachord is taken out to tie their hands and feet together and where their bodies were close enough they were also tied together. Feet to one man's thighs, hands to another man's neck. Nothing to kill mind but it would make getting undone quite a confusing matter. Which was fine by her--She didn't want to make anything easy. Satisfied they wouldn't be going anywhere awhile she makes her way to the women that were either passed out or otherwise injured. Smelling salts are withdrawn to rouse the one that had been fighting back when they arrived. Though there was an obvious language barrier she presses a finger to her lips, and then thrusts a gun into the woman's hands with her head tipped toward the other women. Hoping her point was understood she moves to rouse the others in a similar fashion intending to give them plenty of time to escape if they can. The door does open easily, and Batman is on the second level without further battle. It seems that the remaining forces are just on hand to hold off pursuit, and are focused on the first floor. From below he can hear Talia's voice demanding to kill the intruder, and then more quietly, "Come Damian." The assassins rush to meet Batgirl's charge. They're good but she's better and the first two who try to attack her get nerve punched neatly and drop. After that the rest change tactics and fight defensively and to keep the intruder from reaching Talia and Damian as Talia leads him away towards the lifts. Music in motion, violent music. That is Batgirl. Batman though is cold efficiently. He is on the move immediately after he hears that the boy and Talia are there with Batgirl. The girl can handle herself, but it is still highly risky that she could be overwhelmed. As he heads for the stairs, guessing the layout from experience and knowledge, Batman hears Talia. The boy's name is Damian! He thinks his heart skipped a beat, and there is also rage. Batman drops a small explosive, that erupts, shaking the lift but doing no more damage than to break the lock atop it. A light thump on it and the trap door atop the lift is gone and in drops Batman. He crouches low, his eyes covered by milky-white lenses. There is a sneer to his face though. "I see you are no more than a shadow of your Father's after all this time Talia; using your own flesh and blood as a tool for your lust for blood and power. You are unworthy, a broken -THING- to the woman I once knew." The deep voice uses his words as a sword, making it clear that he knows, and there is no hiding from him now. "He is not your weapon Talia! And all these years you hid him from me to teach him to be a killer!" As he speaks and unfolds himself, his body coiled for action if Talia forces his hand, the cold anger coming off him in waves. Even Batgirl has never seen Batman like this. Not even Talia has. This is hwat Batgirl would describe as Batman berserk. Not holding back. Going all out. Laying thing son the line then. Her body flushed then, and watching him critically. Wondering if she would have to add him to the list of things that she has to stop. No matter the circumstance or the situation, Cassandra will stop Batman from doing one thing. One personal abyss that in this circumstance she fears as she sees him, for the first time, go into a bloody rage of personal anguish. No matter the cost, she will not let him kill. She charges in, going to try and deal over with the assassins as fast and as expediently as she can. Even leaving herself open to their retaliation and risks taking hits to try and get to them more quickly so she can watch the back of the Bat. While struggling, she says one word into her commlink then, audible over to Carrie and to Batman to try and snap Bruce out of his bloody rage. "Parents.." The beaten woman is the one woken first, and she winces in pain, about to still fight. But then a gun is handed to her, confusion. She almost shoots poor Robin! Luckily, her hands were shaking too much after being untied. As Robin unties the other women and wakes them up, handing them weapons...the hurt one starts to struggle to her feet and grin nastily toward the men tied up in the Death symbol, before spitting toward them in the sand with disgust and hatred. She likely thinks them dead, otherwise she would be killing them now. Reluctantly, the battered woman turns from the tied up men, and speaks sharply to the other women. They seem in fear of her, but also of awe. Whoever Robin saved, it wasn't some common nobody. But the battered woman looks over at Robin and bows her head in thanks, before moving back toward the stone stairs with the other two women following her. Carrie Kelley is quick about her task. There was trouble coming, she knew, and the transmitted word from Batgirl has her wondering just what was going on. It wasn't good. Couldn't be good. What mattered right now was getting the women untied and armed and out of here before anyone else might happen by though. Quickly done she rises again turning to sweep her green-masked gaze over them all only to fix on the one that fought. It was a gamble to wake her first but one that paid off: Anyone with that much fight in them wouldn't be panicking. They would help, or otherwise just leave. In this case it seems help as she organizes the other women to leave. With apparently some authority. Lightly she dips her head in return to the woman watching after them as they leave. Only then does she move back to jet bounding back inside and running a quick systems check. The assassins fall before Batgirl but they exact their price in bruises and cuts before they do. One landing a particularly nasty sword cut before he is knocked unconscious with the rest. Then the way is clear to Talia, to Damian and to Batman. There is a falter in Talia's demeanor which in another person would be a scream. Then reserve back in place she turns to face her former lover, swords drawn. "You had best not stand in my way, Damian and I are leaving here, and you will need to kill us both to stop-" her words are cut off by a sudden intake of breath. She looks down and her side where a small dart has pierced her flesh, still gripped in Damian's hand. He looks up at her with his cold blue eyes. "Do not worry mother, it's only a sleeping dart. Your time is done and I must go, but I want you to be able to watch me rise, to see what I will become. I owe you that much." Talia reels back, caught between her son and her former lover. She staggers away leaning against the wall, her breathes coming in gasps. "Insolent child," she half moans half wails before consciousness leaves her and she collapses to the floor. Damian watches his mother fall quietly then turns to his father. "Thank you for coming for me father," he says. "But we must hurry, these are only some of my mother's forces in the city, others will have been summoned, we must go." The single word from Cass has Batman's back stiffen and he draws in a sharp breath, before slowly letting it out as Talia starts on her own insane rant...kill them?! But his eyes widen a bit behind those milky-white lenses, though his shoulders relax when he hears it was only a sleeping dart. No, he does not trust his son, and the coldness from his own son's voice hurts, but not unexpected. He...actually feels sorry for Talia. "Cruelty does not distill loyalty Talia," he says quietly, "It only works in substitute if you can instill fear." Talia won't hear him though, not likely. He moves to place a hand on either shoulder of his son as long as the boy does night fight him. The hands are heavy and he looks at the child's eyes, the milky-white lenses having been lifted. Cool blue eyes. "I want you to come with me Damian, but there is one rule I must be clear about." There is a brief pause, but the words are intense, "We do NOT kill." He will take Damian from here, he wants to otherwise he wouldn't have come. But he needs to make this perfectly clear. He had still noticed the bad cut that Batgirl suffered, but he does not bring it up while in the field still, as the girl would also be unhappy about getting that pointed out. His attention currently is fully on Damian, his SON. Cassandra Cain glances down over at the dropped Talia, and she goes over to check at her, then she shifts up and over to check at Talia's neck. Going then to if not otherwise stopped, secure Talia for transport unless pointed at immediately, going to check the other woman over for worse injuries, and from there try and secure with a zip tie once she had made sure that she was not badly injured. Intent on taking the woman along with them to hand over to the authorities then if at all possible as she passes out. Damian meets his father's eyes, wondering at how similar they are to his own. "If you say so, father," Damian replies to the rule and glances over to where Batgirl is tying up his mother. "We should hurry," he says again. "Others will be coming." There is not room on the plane and this is Madripoor. But Richard Dragon is still nearby, and he will handle the clean-up efficiently as the man handles everything. Talia will find the next few months very difficult as she works to get wiggling room before she can plot her revenge. A slight frown, but he will accept it...for now. He taps his comlink, "Dragon. It's handled." He doesn't even wait for a response. Instead, he lifts Damian up with strong arms even though the thirteen year old is no light-weight, and shifts him to his back. "Hold on," he advises. He then nods toward Batgirl, a silent thanks. His eyes lingering on her wound briefly, before checking that she can continue on his own. When she acknowledges, he then heads for the nearest window, and with a grapple line released, he flies down to the lower roof tops so he can run. Another tap about a minute later has Batman's growling voice on com, "Get the jet ready." Shortly after, Batman finally sets Damian down outside the cliff steps before heading down carefully, indicating Batgirl to take rear. He pauses when he sees the tied up men in the kanji symbol for Death. It takes take more than a moment or two to realize they are very much still breaking and have arrows sticking out of them. "..." Without another word, he heads toward the Bat-jet. "You will seat with me." A quiet, firm order without him thinking anything of it. He is as strong a personality as Damian's mother, Talia. But he turns back to lower a hand down in case Damian needs it to get into the jet with him - not that the boy will need it. At the affirmation from Batman of leaving the secured Talia behind, Cassandra gives a light nod, and then goes to vanish along with the rest as they head over for the Bat-Plane. For now, she is silent. Internally reviewing events and what has occurred. Then waiting for further instructions and meditating on the flight back. "Ready and set to jet, Boss," Carrie responds. She's true to her word--The engines are already humming by the time they arrive as she timed it just right. When they arrive Carrie is already strapped in to the seat she had occupied before currently leaning over the control panel to flick switches as she goes through the flight-prep quickly. A glance is cast over her shoulder to the three that arrive with a quick, curt nod offered before turning back to her task. She doesn't even ask if he wants to fly out of here--She intends to do so. His hands were full after all. Damian walks along with his father and Batgirl, and when he sees the bat jet his eye-brows raise. Then raise again when he sees the bodies laid out in formation. He nods approvingly before. "As you say, father," Damian says as he moves towards the jet and lets his father put him on his lap for the ride back. Batgirl isn't in the jet very often, if at all, so Batman does inform her, "Batgirl, to your left in a panel, emergency aid kit." A quiet order to tend to her wounds before meditating. The roofing is sealed, "Take off...Robin." The name does not flow from his mouth naturally like it would for Tim Drake. But it's the closest to praise that Carrie is likely to get from the man, and she likely very well knows it. Damian would know that the girl isn't his 'normal' Robin very quickly. Though there is still a, "I expect a report of your activities turned in." Also his way of admitting he wants to know what the hell happened and why the kanji for Death when they were obviously still living! Still, Batman shifts himself to give Damian as much room as possible, though he reaches out to make sure the 'home' GPS is activated to guide Carrie. He falls silent. Batgirl and female Robin would be used to it, he never was a man to 'talk things out'. He stews about them. And currently, he is coming up empty on what to speak to Damian about on a plane trip back with two female witnesses. Tomorrow the breakfast table with be even more interesting than usual... In spite of her usually easy to cheer manner the smile that lights Carrie's face is rather subdued. While she hadn't fought as hard or as long as they had, it was a long night for her. Especially after having just dealt with another gang the night before even coming here to begin with. "I figure I would, Boss," is her response to the report--She was already pulling the jet up thankful it was a harrier so that it could take off and land vertically. Only once they're in the air does she shift to reach beneath the seat pulling out a ziplock baggie that she had stuck there before leaving. The bag of Alfred's cookies are offered back toward the others with a simple, "Keep your blood sugar levels up!" Well they HAD just been fighting, and Cass was losing some blood...